Category: Internet Marketing

Ecommerce content: How to demonstrate beneficial purpose and expertise

Communicating your value proposition is the overarching goal of your website. But at a URL level, messaging needs to be more refined.

This typically means targeting specific keywords and topics on your pages and clearly communicating your expertise and beneficial purpose within your content.

Google’s recent addition of an extra E to E-A-T for “experience” in the updated search quality raters guidelines further enforces the need for ensuring your beneficial purpose is prominent in your main content. I also believe this is another contributing factor to the indexing quality threshold.

So how can you scalably introduce “experience” content into your pages without diluting your messaging or the page’s beneficial purpose?

In this article, I will share tips for incorporating ‘experience’ content for ecommerce sites and demonstrating expertise either at an author or site level.

Defining beneficial purpose and page quality

To recap, Google defines beneficial purpose as “the overall intention of the page, as determined by the creator of the page.” 

In other words:

  • What is the purpose of the page? 
  • Is it to sell a product or service? 
  • Is it to provide information? 
  • Or is it to generate leads?

On the other hand, Google’s definition of page quality is “a holistic evaluation of the elements that make up a page, including design, functionality, user experience, and content.” 

Here, it is vital to determine:

  • How well does the page meet its intended purpose? 
  • Is it easy to use? 
  • Is the content relevant and accurate?

Displaying product experience and expertise in ecommerce

Demonstrating product experience and expertise is vital in setting your ecommerce site apart from non-specialist retailers and generic quick-buck affiliate websites.

Historically, ecommerce websites interweave product and company reviews into their content and templates as a way of building trust and, to an extent, showing their experience in delivering a quality service.

As search engines are looking for more and more differentiation signals, investing in ‘experience’ content that doesn’t necessarily have target search phrases or an end goal of ranking in SERPs is a must.

As an example, Holts does a good job of demonstrating experience and expertise at a company and author level through content.

Holts - Staff reviews

Holts’ staff and authors review the products they sell. Their profiles also have information about them as consumers, such as their favorite cigars and strength preferences.

These product experience articles contain good internal links to related products and product use cases (e.g., game nights). They are difficult to falsify without the product experience, as they will stand out among your target customer base.

Similarly, if your product or service is in the YMYL space, you want to build as many trust signals as possible that your service is safe and trustworthy, and will not adversely affect consumers.

A great example of this is Optical Express in the UK, which has a comprehensive portfolio of surgeons and ophthalmologists, with individual profiles listing:

  • The governing medical bodies they are registered with.
  • The number of procedures and surgeries they have completed.
  • Reviews from their patients (aggregated, video, and written).
  • Professional memberships.

This content is typically found on small or independent practice websites. For it to be done at scale for a national provider is impressive, and again, serves as a verifiable trust signal that can’t be easily faked.

Utilizing user- and staff-generated content at the product level

The two examples before are great at demonstrating experience at a brand or domain level, but it can also be important to demonstrate experience at a product level.

This can be done either as a direct effort by the website trying to sell the product or through a collection of user-generated content.

For example, Amazon has been doing this for years by putting customer experiences on individual product pages, regardless if they are positive or not. They’ve done this through their “Customers questions & answers” section.

Amazon - Customer questions & answers

The responses, which can include videos and pictures, create unique relevant content to help potential consumers better forecast their experience using the product.

In the search quality raters guidelines, sharing first-hand experiences is highlighted as a signal of high page quality.

A lot of ecommerce websites already do this by aggregating product-specific user reviews on pages to build trust. Complemented with schema markup, this also gives them a chance to get review stars in the SERPs.

Another way of doing this is to create unique, experience content at a product detail page (PDP) level. Two websites doing this well are CardKingdom and TCG Player.

In this sector, most PDPs use the card flavor text and details. Thus, adding unique content that demonstrates product knowledge (and content useful for users) can be viewed as an additional, positive signal by Google.

CardKingdom - Pro Tip! content
An example of CardKingdom’s “Pro Tip!” content on product detail pages.

This unique differentiator can also be useful as a general page quality signal for the indexing threshold.

Developing ‘experience’ content

Many information and studies will likely be published in the coming weeks and months on how to create better experience signals in your content and improve page quality (for your source type).

However, it is important to remember that Google has been collecting data, setting benchmarks of ‘experience’ content currently “in the wild.” The search engine already has an idea of how content can:

  • Portray a value proposition.
  • Demonstrate a beneficial purpose.
  • Have a sufficient “page quality” for the source type.

So we’re not reinventing the wheel or deviating too far from what we’ve already been doing when targeting E-A-T.

If anything, we’re now adding more unique perspectives, opinions, and user experiences to make content more “genuine” – diluting the marketing prose and keyword research-led content pieces with more human notions.

The post Ecommerce content: How to demonstrate beneficial purpose and expertise appeared first on Search Engine Land.

Original source: https://searchengineland.com/ecommerce-content-demonstrate-beneficial-purpose-experience-391832

Big energy saving week: Save up to £1,500 per year!

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Big Energy Saving Week: Save up to £1,500 per year 

It has been a bitterly cold start to the year. With millions of Brits across the country still working remotely or in a hybrid working arrangement, much more of our time is being spent in the comfort of our own home. 

Although this can be bliss in many ways – let’s face it, there’s nothing quite like being in your own space – it can also mean higher energy bills. With more cups of tea being made at home, kettles are boiling constantly, laptops and phones are being charged and you may even put the heating on when it gets nippy. 

According to analysis from Uswitch, those working from home use 25% more electricity and a staggering 75% more gas than those who work in the office five days a week. Thus, energy bills are much higher for those working remotely. 

It is Big Energy Saving Week, meaning there is no better time to find new ways to save. With 63 million adults reporting an increase in living costs in the last few months, here are some nifty ways to save yourself some money when working from home. 

 

Don’t leave appliances on standby

Letting your laptop or PC enter standby mode at the end of your working day is no equivalent to turning off your electricals at the plug. Turn off all your equipment, looking for lights indicating something may still be running. 

Although laptops and computers may look as if they are off whilst on standby, they are continuing to use energy. According to British Gas, turning off appliances at the plug and closing everything down properly can save you £147 a year. 

 

Turn off the lights

It may seem obvious, but turning off lights can make a huge difference in your home. Understandably, as we navigate through darker and longer days, with gloomy mornings galore, the lights may be one of the first things to be turned on. 

As the day gets lighter, make a mental note to turn off your lights as soon as you can, using natural light where possible. Lighting our homes makes up 10-15% of our annual energy bills. Turning lights off by midday, or when you leave the room, could save you £25 per year. 

 

Fill a flask

It is no secret the British love a good cuppa. Working from home means more tea, coffee and hot chocolate, particularly in the chillier months. Boiling a full kettle costs 8 pence per time. This may not seem too much, but if you are a regular tea or coffee drinker, the pennies can add up. 

Instead of boiling a kettle of water every time you want a brew, fill the kettle up once, boil it, and pop it into a flask. This will keep the water warm until your next drink. This could save you up to £329 per year! 

 

Smart food swaps

More time at home may mean an increased food bill. Lunches and snacks throughout the day may cost you more than you think, pushing your supermarket spend up. A great way to save on your food shopping is by ‘downshifting’.  

Downshifting is making smart food swaps from premium to supermarket own brands whenever possible. This can save you hundreds on your bills, and the taste of many own-brand foods are identical to that of your favourite premium brands. 

In fact, this could save you 30% every time you go shopping. This could be thousands of pounds over the course of a year. 

 

Turn off the TV

If you work from your living room, you may well pop the television on during your working day. Whether you watch it or use it as background noise, it could be costing you more money than it is worth. 

Televisions can be power hungry, so it is worth noting some ways to save. As previously mentioned, ensure your TV is turned off at the plug when not in use. According to Utilita, leaving your TV on standby could cost up to 28p per hour! 

Instead of having the television on whilst you work, listen to the radio, music or a podcast. If you like to have the telly on, reduce the brightness of the screen to reduce power consumption. Give it a go for Big Energy Saving Week!

 

Have a move around

Did you know, moving your sofa just six inches away from your radiator could save you £125 per year? This is because sofas and other bulky furniture will absorb much of the heat emitted from your radiators. 

This means your home will take longer to heat, and subsequently you may choose to leave the heating on for longer periods of time. This adds to your energy bill. So, it’s worth considering the placement of your furniture within your home to ensure maximum energy efficiency. 

The post Big energy saving week: Save up to £1,500 per year! appeared first on MoneyMagpie.

Original source: https://www.moneymagpie.com/make-money/big-energy-saving-week-save-up-to-1500-per-year

Aldi launches new Amazing Savings section on its website

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Aldi launch new ‘Amazing Savings’ section on their website.

Family favourite supermarket Aldi has just released a brand-new section on their website, hoping to help shoppers with the cost-of-living crisis. It is aimed at households wanting to save pennies as costs continue to rise rapidly. 

The Amazing Savings section of the budget supermarket’s website brings together the best deals across the store. From deals on food and delicious recipe ideas to help with cutting costs throughout the home and improving energy efficiency, the new addition to the website is likely to help thousands of people. 

Millions of people across the UK are feeling the pressure of increasing costs. With energy bills at a high, inflation causing the cost of food to soar and interest rates the highest they have been for years, everyday living is becoming more and more expensive.  

This spurred Aldi to introduce the new feature to their website to help customers save money and teach them savvy saving skills for food and homeware. 

Aldi’s website says:

“No matter your budget we’re here to help you make amazing savings. From delicious meal ideas for less to discovering all our latest price drops, you can find it all here.  

“Check out our energy saving tips too and enjoy the everyday at even better prices this year.” 

You really can find it all, as the Aldi website suggests. If you are looking for cheap, filling recipe ideas for the family, or want some tips on how to insulate your home, Aldi are bringing you all you need to get saving. 

The new section of the website even showcases ideas from Aldi shoppers. Content creators have been invited to show off their family meal planning, as well as how to make a meal for one, for under £1! 

The SpecialBuys section of the budget supermarket has always been a firm favourite. This section showcases the best deals across the store, including ways to beat heating costs, such as heated blankets and air fryers available to buy. 

You can check out the new section of the Aldi website here. 

The post Aldi launches new Amazing Savings section on its website appeared first on MoneyMagpie.

Original source: https://www.moneymagpie.com/make-money/aldi-launches-new-amazing-savings-section-on-its-website

Google ranking signals: A complete breakdown of all confirmed, rumored and false factors

Every article you can find online about Google ranking factors will tell you there are at least ~200 or so odd variables that contribute to how a site will perform in the SERPs. 

That being said, there’s an enormous difference between what might impact SEO, what’s actually confirmed as a ranking factor, and what is simply a good principle to rank well.

It might sound like semantics, but “best practices” don’t just automatically translate into confirmed ranking factors in and of themselves. 

So let’s separate these confirmed facts from fiction and all the other stuff you simply should be doing as a good marketer on a daily basis. 

In this article, we’ll analyze all of the known, confirmed, rumored, and absolute myth-level Google ranking factors in an easy-to-read, highly condensed way. 

Confirmed ranking factors 

These are all the ranking factors that have been confirmed as true. We know they definitely impact your results in Google’s search engine to varying degrees.

Core Web Vitals 

Your Core Web Vitals assess page experience signals to evaluate how engaging the user experience is. They confirmed in 2021 that they are a ranking signal, so make sure your site has a “good” ranking standing.  

Source: Timing for Bringing Page Experience to Google Search

Anchor text  

Google has confirmed that they use concise anchor text (read: “SEO strategies” as the anchor text and not “click here”) to better understand what’s on your pages, which can directly lead to them placing your page higher in the SERPs. 

This isn’t the strongest ranking factor on the list (especially after the Penguin update), but it can still help. 

Source: Search Engine Optimization Starter Guide

Domain history 

You may be running an up-and-up, fully legitimate business now, but what if a sketchy business was using the domain before to scam customers?

Domain history does matter, and it’s a confirmed ranking signal, though Google’s John Mueller has gone on to say that the issue will resolve itself over time. Still, we recommend playing it safe on this one.  

Source: English Google Webmaster Central office-hours hangout (Nov. 13, 2018)

E-A-T 

Google’s E-A-T framework assesses expertise, authoritativeness, and trustworthiness – and while it isn’t a ranking factor in and of itself, many of the factors that go into its calculation are ranking factors. So we’re putting this one in the confirmed column, but with a little “but only kind of” note. 

Source: How Google Fights Disinformation 

Headings  

Headings – including H1s and H2s – can absolutely be a ranking factor, as they help Google understand the content on the page. They aren’t the only ranking factor, but they matter, so have them clearly written and keyword-friendly.  

Source: English Google Webmaster Central office-hours (Aug. 7, 2020)

HTTPS 

Secure search, or HTTPS – compared to HTTP – is a known and confirmed ranking factor. It also is an important part of a safe user experience, so make sure you get on this one fast if you haven’t already. 

Source: HTTPS as a Ranking Signal 

Content 

It’s abundantly clear that content is used as a search ranking signal, and the quality of the content, including how directly it answers a question, can be vital to performance in the SERPs. The content on its own (and not just headings) is assessed by Google.

Source: English Google Webmaster Central office-hours (Aug. 7, 2020)

Links coming to your site from other sites have long been a general SEO best practice. That’s because PageRank established backlinks as “votes” from the very beginning, offering a new way to analyze quality that was originally modeled after citations to academic papers.

Source: Ranking Results – How Google Search Works

Keyword prominence 

Keyword density isn’t a ranking factor (we’ll get to that later), but keyword prominence is. This is the location of the keyword, and the closer to the title or beginning of the text, the more prominent it is.  

Source: English Google SEO office-hours (June 18, 2021)

Keyword stuffing

Keyword stuffing – which involves over-stuffing your content with keywords in an attempt to get it to rank well – is a negative ranking factor, as confirmed by Google. Doing this will hurt you, so avoid it. 

Source: Spam Policies for Google’s Web Search

If you’ve paid for backlinks and you get caught (which is admittedly very difficult) it is a negative ranking factor. It’s best to stay away from this. 

Source: Spam Policies for Google Web Search

Mobile-friendliness 

Mobile-friendliness is confirmed as a ranking factor, and it’s been strengthening as a ranking signal for years. It’s particularly important for mobile search results, which have eclipsed desktop searches for at least seven years now. So here’s where mobile responsive best practices and confirmed ranking signals overlap nicely.

Source: Continuing to Make the Web More Mobile Friendly

Page speed 

We know that page loading speed is a confirmed factor for Google’s SERPs (and has been since 2010) – and it’s an important one. It also directly impacts the user experience, so make sure that your site loading times are as quick as possible. 

Source: Speed is Now a Landing Page Factor for Google Search and Ads

Physical proximity to the searcher

Google absolutely takes the physical closeness of the searcher into account when determining what results to show them, especially in local search. While you can’t change the location of your business, make sure that all of your business information (including location citations) are up-to-date and accurate. 

Source: How to Improve Your Local Ranking on Google

RankBrain  

RankBrain is an AI system released in 2015 (and significantly updated in 2016) to integrate AI into search queries for improved results, which is particularly helpful for ambiguous queries or long-tail keywords. It’s a confirmed ranking factor, but there’s no clear or distinct way to intentionally optimize for it. 

Source: Google Q&A

Relevance, distance and prominence 

Confirmed by Google as ranking factors, these three signals determine the popularity and geographical closeness of a business along with how relevant it is to the specific search. They are each vital for local search results, so take that into account when optimizing your local business page and remember to generate reviews. 

Source: How to Improve Your Local Ranking on Google

Title tags  

There’s plenty of evidence that optimizing title tags can have a correlative increase with ranking, though we know they’re not nearly as critical of a ranking factor as the rest of the content itself. It’s a small detail in a bigger picture, but they also say that Google looks for keyword stuffing here as a negative factor. 

Source: English Google Webmaster Central office-hours hangout (Jan. 15, 2016)

URLs 

URLs are a minimal search ranking factor, which means that keywords in a URL are assessed when Google is crawling your site. Mueller has repeatedly stressed that this is not a ranking factor worth spending a lot of time on. 

Source: @JohnMu on Twitter

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Unconfirmed but suspected ranking factors 

Google hasn’t confirmed every single ranking factor out there, but that doesn’t mean that these elements below don’t have some sort of impact on the ranking algorithms. This is the unconfirmed but suspected-by-expert ranking factors that could impact your SEO. 

Alt text 

Having alt text for your images is definitely considered an SEO best practice, having alt text in and of itself is not a confirmed ranking factor. That being said, using it correctly and with keywords can help your SEO strategy by giving Google more context about what you have on the page. 

Source: Google Image SEO Best Practices 

Breadcrumbs  

Breadcrumbs help Google to assess the hierarchy of how your pages are arranged. Right now, we know it can help Google categorize pages, and that Google treats breadcrumbs as normal links in PageRank. We think they can have an impact on ranking, even if they aren’t confirmed as a direct ranking factor. 

Source: @methode on Twitter

Click depth 

Click depth, or the number of clicks it takes to get from your home page to the destination page, is very likely to be a ranking factor based on remarks from Mueller. But not a significant one. Think about how easy it is for users to get to the end page. 

Source: English Google Webmaster Central office-hours hangout (June 1, 2018)

Local citations 

Location citations that mention your key business information like name, address, and phone number, and while having these appear online aren’t officially confirmed as a ranking factor, it’s close. Google has noted that local results favor the most relevant results and that businesses with complete information will be prioritized. 

Source: Improve your local ranking on Google

Co-citation 

Co-citation and co-occurrence help Google assess how closely two unrelated sites or pages may be related and may give them clues as to how the pages are related and in what context. A few high-quality, trusted links to your site can help Google put together some of the puzzle pieces, but still, this is unlikely to be a significant ranking factor. 

Source: Google patent on related entities and what it means for SEO

Language 

It only makes sense that someone searching for shoes in Mandarin is less than likely to come across a site written in Spanish. To reach users in different locations, you’ll want to create content in the languages they speak.  

Source: Ranking Results – How Google Search Works 

These are links to your own content on your site, but they need strong use of anchor text. At the very least, they definitely don’t hurt. That being said, they’re unlikely to be a strong ranking factor compared to others like site loading speeds. 

Source: Learn About What Sitelinks Are

Schema 

Schema markup is highly valuable when it comes to driving clicks, and it also provides microdata that Google is able to understand easily. 

It isn’t confirmed as a known ranking factor but we know it can help you rank for queries you may not have otherwise. So it may help as a ranking signal, but the worst-case scenario is it just helps your overall SEO. 

Source: Understanding How Structured Markup Data Works 

The user’s own search history 

Each user is different, and Google knows that. The algorithm do take the past search history into account when delivering search results as best as possible.

This, however, is not something that you can influence at all, and the impact is rarely significant (other than prominent locally personalized SERPs or frequently visited pages).

Source: @searchliaison on Twitter

Rumored but unlikely ranking factors 

These are ranking factors that have long been speculated about, and while they have not been outrightly denied so far, we have a good reason for thinking they’re unlikely to be official signals. 

301 redirects 

While former Googler Matt Cutts said in 2012 that Google would follow an unlimited number of redirects from one page to another, there may be a slight PageRank lost in the process. 

However, not much has been officially said, and, likely, they’re not a page ranking factor. In any case, you still want to manage redirects and linking closely to avoid issues in potential redirect chains. This is often more of a best practice for site performance.

Source: When migrating from HTTP to HTTPS Google says to use 301 redirects 

Canonical links do have a connection with search rankings, but we know that even when they’re used correctly, Google might ignore it and pick their own canonical URL to show in the search results instead. Think Captain Barbosa’s famous quote from Pirates of the Caribbean here, “The code is more what you’d call guidelines than actual rules.” 

Source: Google selects canonical URLs based on your site and user preference

Outbound links are way too easy for people to game to be a ranking factor, but it is important to note that the anchor text and the links you choose can help Google better understand your content so it can bring in value indirectly.

Source: English Google Webmaster Central office-hours hangout (Jan. 26, 2016)

Disproven ranking factors  

While some rumored ranking factors are hanging in limbo, some have been disproven. Let’s look at what you don’t have to worry about, at least as far as SEO is concerned. 

Worth pointing out – there’s a lot that isn’t on this list, but we wanted to cover the big ones. 

Bounce rate

We’re listing this one first because it’s a common misconception that bounce rate impacts ranking. Google has repeatedly confirmed that bounce rates are not a ranking signal. 

Source: @methode on Twitter

404 and soft 404 pages 

Google itself has confirmed 404 pages do not impact how your other URLs rank, easily dispelling that ranking factor myth. Broken links and pages, however, can provide a poor user experience (so they should be found and updated when possible).

Source: 404 (Page Not Found) errors

Google Display Ads 

This one has a bit of an asterisk. 

Having ads from Display Ads on your page can lower site loading speeds, especially if you have a large number of them. So the concern was that these ads could hurt your ranking. And they don’t directly hurt your ranking just by appearing on your page.  

They won’t directly impact your SEO ranking, though you will want to make sure that you aren’t overloading your pages with so many ads that performance (including site loading speed) isn’t impacted, because you don’t get a pass if they do. 

And for that matter, using Google Ads, Google Search Console, and Google Analytics won’t automatically impact your ranking, either. 

Source: The Top Heavy Update: Pages with too many ads above the fold now penalized by Google’s “Page Layout” algorithm 

AMP 

This one is simple: AMP is not a ranking factor, and we know that because Google has confirmed it multiple times, since 2016 at least. 

Source: This Week in Google Podcast 341

BBB 

While Better Business Bureau (BBB) reviews can impact consumer buying decisions, there is no evidence at this point in time that it can impact your SEO rankings, and one of Google’s team members confirmed it. 

Source: English Google Webmaster Central office-hours hangout (Nov. 13, 2018)

Click-through rate 

Your click-through rate (CTR) has long been rumored to be a ranking factor, but it’s confirmed this isn’t the case – especially since Google knew that people were trying to game this years ago. So sure, it’s great for your site to have a higher CTR, but don’t expect it to help your rankings.

Source: CTR in the Google Algo: Google’s Gary Illyes and Stone Temple’s Eric Enge Discuss 

Code to text signal 

This one is not a direct ranking factor, but it can still impact the performance of the page, including ranking factors like loading speeds, along with user experience. So not important for ranking, but still good to keep in check. 

Source: English Google Webmaster Central office-hours hangout (Mar. 27, 2018)

Meta descriptions

We know that having a strong meta description is a great SEO best practice to drive a higher CTR to your site, but Google hasn’t used it as a ranking signal since sometime between 1999 and the early 2000s. 

Source: @JohnMu on Twitter

Manual action 

Manual actions are those that manually adjust a website’s visibility in search results by demoting or removing a site or specific pages from Google Search. These are conducted by Google – and they’re a penalty, not a ranking factor. 

Source: Manual Actions Report

Content length

SEO writers will swear up and down that you need at least 1,000 words or 2,000 words or whatever that magic number is in order to be ranked by Google. That’s not true. 

Google doesn’t look at content length as a ranking factor, but you should have enough quality content to be competitive on any given keyword to rank well. 

Source: johnmu on /r/bigseo

Domain age 

The age of your domain can help with site authority overall (see below), but Google has confirmed that it is not currently a ranking factor.  

Source: @JohnMu on Twitter

Domain authority 

Google has repeatedly confirmed that domain authority is not a ranking factor, as any “site authority” score is created by a third-party tool.

Sites with higher domain authorities may correlate with improved SEO because some of the calculations may be close, but they’re correlative and nothing more. Really, this one is common sense. 

Source: johnmu on r/SEO/ 

Domain name

Your domain name is important (“www.coolshoes.com” can absolutely drive clicks), but it is not a ranking factor and hasn’t been for a while. 

Source: English Google Webmaster Central office-hours (Sept. 11, 2020)

Google doesn’t care which link comes first. This isn’t the magic hack some people insist that it is. They care about the quality of the links. And remember, anchor text matters more than where the link is placed. 

Source: English Google Webmaster Central office-hours hangout (Feb. 20, 2018)

Recency of content 

Is Google automatically prioritizing a brand-new article over one written last year? No. 

That being said, the thoroughness and quality of the article matter. If you need to refresh to stay competitive, that can help your ranking. 

Source: @JohnMu on Twitter

Think that having a .gov or .edu at the end of your domain will make a difference? Maybe to users, but unfortunately not to Google. Not a ranking factor. 

Source: @JohnMu on Twitter

Keyword density 

This may have influenced ranking at one time, and though it’s a general best practice, it is not a ranking factor. And remember: keyword stuffing doesn’t do you any favor. 

Source: What is The Ideal Keyword Density of a Page?

‘We have no idea’ if these are legitimate ranking factors (or not)

Looking for a potential ranking factor that we haven’t discussed so far? There are a few that are still currently up in the air, with evidence that they may be a ranking factor but nothing to confirm that they actually are.  

Authorship of your content 

Does a specific author’s byline impact how Google will rank your page? Honestly, we’re not sure, but it certainly doesn’t hurt to use reliable authors who your audience will trust. 

Google has recommended adding author information into article schema and we suspect that authorship expertise does play a part in E-A-T. But again, it’s inconclusive at this time. (Note that we’re speaking about “authorship” more broadly here than referring specifically to Google’s old Authorship.)

Source: 14 ways Google may evaluate E-A-T 

HTML lists

Orders or unordered HTML lists could be a ranking factor, but we really don’t know. If it is, it’s not a particularly strong signal, but it can help with SEO, especially if it can help you snag a featured snippet spot.  

Source: How to get Google featured snippets: 9 optimization guidelines 

MUM

The Multitask Unified Model (MUM) was rolled out in 2021 to help the algorithms better understand language so Google can more effectively answer complex search queries. It’s not a known ranking factor right now, but it could be in the future, especially since Google has discussed how it’s improved some search results in early tests.  

Source: Using AI to Keep Google Search Safe

Text formatting 

Using HTML elements to format text can help both readers and Google’s crawling tools quickly find important parts of your content. There’s evidence that bolded or italicized wording, for example, may receive extra weight in importance. Since it can help you tell Google what you want it to notice on the page, it may impact ranking, but the jury is still out here. 

Source: @JohnMu on Twitter

Conclusion

There you have it – an expansive list of all the known, confirmed and refuted Google ranking factors, along with everything in between to keep us guessing.

And that’s just the point. This list will change in the future. That’s probably the only thing we can guarantee at the end of the day.

Because while the SEO rumor mill has speculated on what exactly Google’s “200 ranking factors” for nearly two decades, the truth is probably a lot murkier than that.

As Google continues to employ AI, machine learning, and other advanced technologies to slice and dice data, the true “ranking factors” that will move the needle for marketers tomorrow aren’t likely to be the same old static ones we used to rely on yesterday.

The post Google ranking signals: A complete breakdown of all confirmed, rumored and false factors appeared first on Search Engine Land.

Original source: https://searchengineland.com/google-ranking-signals-complete-breakdown-391784

First Images of King Charles Coins

Reading Time: 2 mins

The Royal Mint has unveiled its 2023 Bullion Britannia coin today. This is the first bullion coin to bear His Majesty The King’s official coin portrait. They are the first Mint in the world to introduce the King’s official portrait onto bullion coins.  

After the introduction of four innovative security features onto The Royal Mint’s bullion Britannia coin, its appeal and demand soared globally. Due to their legal tender stats, Britannia coins are exempt from Capital Gains Tax (CGT) for UK residents. Gold Britannia bullion is also VAT free. This is the case for gold Britannia bullion in the form of both coins and bars. 

King Charles

Coin features

Struck in fine gold and enhanced with security features, Britannia coins can be purchased from The Royal Mint’s website. Below Britannia’s flowing gown, a trident becomes a padlock as the viewer changes their perspective. 

Surface animation on the coin reflects the movement of waves. These added security features both decorate and protect the coin, the Mint said. Micro-text that borders the design states “Decus et Tutamen”, which translates as “An ornament and a safeguard”. 

The price of Royal Mint bullion coins varies, depending on changes to the gold price. A 1oz fine gold bullion coin was on sale on the Mint’s website on Monday for around £1,700. 

Andrew Dickey, Director of Precious Metals at The Royal Mint, said:  

“The Britannia bullion coin is globally recognised across the world by investors. Its reputation as the world’s most visually secure bullion coin has led to it becoming one of the most popular bullion coins produced by The Royal Mint. 

“While the design of the bullion Britannia coin remains consistent, the 2023 dated edition begins a new chapter for Royal Mint bullion coins, as His Majesty The King’s portrait appears for the very first time. 

“Bullion coins are an attractive option for many investors looking to diversify their investment portfolio due to their value, tradability, and liquidity as well as CGT exemption in the UK. Each bullion coin produced by The Royal Mint is a combination of exceptional design, craftsmanship and latest innovation upholding the standards of quality and accuracy that you’d expect from a world-leading mint.” 

The post First Images of King Charles Coins appeared first on MoneyMagpie.

Original source: https://www.moneymagpie.com/make-money/the-royal-mint-unveiled-new-gold-bullion

How to Prepare Your Finances to Buy Your Own Home

Home Business Magazine Online

Buying your own home is a big commitment, and it is one that takes most people years to achieve. Saving money for a down payment, getting pre-approval for a mortgage, and finding the right home in your preferred area are not easy tasks. Therefore, the more you know about the process, the better. As part of your preparation, you should be optimizing your finances so that you are ready to go if the perfect house comes onto the market. That is why, in this guide, we will be discussing the best ways to prepare your finances to buy your own home.

Start Researching Early

Before you begin shopping around for your dream home, there are many things you need to do to prepare, so you should start researching these requirements as early as possible. If you know which area you would like to live in, or you need to stay close to family and friends, and then research the prices in the area to understand more about what you should be aiming for. This will also give you some more knowledge on recent changes in the market, which might help you to make a decision around when the best time is to buy your own home.

As part of your research, you should also investigate what potential mortgage brokers will be looking for from a financial perspective, as getting started early can significantly improve your application.

Start Budgeting

After you’ve calculated how much you’ll need to save for your down payment, and what the requirements will be from your mortgage broker, it’s time to start budgeting! There are some key things to do as part of this process, including:

Work Out Your Outgoings

Calculating your outgoings is one of the first things you should do when you start budgeting for home ownership. Create a list of everything you pay for each month, such as rent, utilities, bills, subscriptions and groceries. Then set these monthly expenses against your total monthly income. This will show you your disposable income figure, which is money you can use to spend on whatever you like — or save towards a home! If you are having difficulty building your list, then this guide from Tally can help.

Open a Savings Account

Next up is opening a savings account. Having somewhere to put your savings makes it easier to track your running total. In addition, it lets you shop around for high-yield savings accounts that offer the best interest rates. You can even automate your savings account so that your contributions are automatically taken on payday, making it even easier for you to stash some savings away.

Increase Your Income

Increasing the amount of money you bring in each month is a great way to prepare your finances to buy your own home. As a result, you can dedicate your increased take home pay to your house savings pot! If you are not able to go for a promotion or new role at your job, then a side-hustle might be something useful to consider and work on.

Pay Off Debts

Ultimately, no matter how much income you have coming in, if that income is being swallowed by debt repayments, then you will find it seriously challenging to successfully save for a home. Even if you do not have many credit cards or loans, you might be able to reduce the larger payments you make each month if you have a large car payment. Switching to a cheaper vehicle can increase the amount of income you can save, and again this can be added straight to your down payment pot!

Get Pre-approval for a Mortgage

If you know that you will need a mortgage for buying your own home, then thinking about pre-approval as soon as you can helps you as you prepare your budget. Pre-approval from a mortgage broker is essentially the process through which a lender will tell you how much you can spend on a property based on your income, savings and investment information. By having a price range in mind, you can start to view properties in the area and get a feel for where you would like to live.

As part of the pre-approval process, your lender will need to see some of your financial documents, like your paycheck stubs, bank statements, and W-2 statements, to determine whether you are a suitable candidate for a mortgage with them. This means that, where possible, you should ensure that your bank statements are organized, tidy, and do not contain any unsuitable information, like unclear or joke payment references with friends.

Prepare for Future Expenditure Changes

Although exciting, getting pre-approval for a mortgage and starting the process of shopping around for your dream home is not the end of the journey. Understand that once you get the keys, your financial circumstances may change. This is a highly important part of the process. When you become a homeowner, there are a number of things that you will become financially responsible for that you would not have been while renting or living with family. These include the following:

Insurance

Building and contents insurance is a necessity when you own your own home, but you might not have been responsible for this before. While you can shop around to find the best insurance deal, the monthly cost of protecting your property is still something that can affect your monthly expenditure.

Home Repairs

Instead of calling the maintenance team at a shared apartment complex or contributing to the cost of bills while living with family, you will have to pay for home repairs when you own your own property. These bills add up, especially if unprepared for them and finding yourself relying on credit.

Furniture

If you previously lived in a furnished rented accommodation, then buying and maintaining your own furniture is a surprisingly large expense.

Learning what expenses you will be responsible for as a homeowner before you make the move is important. It will help you prepare for any changes to your existing budget.

Final Thoughts

Buying your own home is an incredible success, and one that with hard work and dedication you can achieve in time. By following these top tips, listing your outgoings, organizing your finances, and saving in an appropriate account, you can buy your own home and be the proud owner in no time!

The post How to Prepare Your Finances to Buy Your Own Home appeared first on Home Business Magazine.

Original source: https://homebusinessmag.com/money/how-to-guides-money/how-to-prepare-finances-buy-your-own-home/

Digital Tools and Software That Entrepreneurs Need to Implement for Their Businesses

Home Business Magazine Online

As an entrepreneur, you have to control every activity in your company — from accounting to management. It is your responsibility to oversee all of these departments. It gets a bit overwhelming to do it all. However, the right resources and employees can help you as an entrepreneur to overcome challenges. The right digital tools and software may aid business owners and their employees in increasing productivity, freeing up time, and improving customer experiences across the board — from brand building to customer engagement. You must utilize these to the fullest extent possible. Otherwise, it could mean the difference between success and failure.

One of the most common issues startups face is a lack of capital or money to keep their businesses running. If you need financial assistance for your new business, several loans are available for startups and entrepreneurs to start their businesses. You only need to contact the online lender, or fill out a loan application online to get the loan.

Digital Tools and Software

Once you get the loan, you need the following digital tools and software to ensure the smooth running of your business.

  • QuickBooks

For every business to succeed, financial stability is crucial. It is essential to comprehend how money enters and leaves your business. However, doing this without a bookkeeper or accountant’s help could be difficult. Quickbooks is the preferred accounting program for small and medium-sized businesses.

This service can handle anything from basic accounting to producing financial reports. Moreover, it is flexible and fairly priced. During tax season, Quickbooks can help you find the most timesaving and energy-saving tax solutions for your business.

  • Trello

Any small business owner will tell you that maintaining organization and control over your workload is a war you must win each day. It is very hard to accomplish that with simply a to-do list or calendar. It is even harder to accomplish by attempting to keep everything organized in your head.

Trello is one of the best options for small businesses, because it is not as complicated as other project management apps. In addition, it helps business owners keep organized, especially if their workers work remotely. Trello has everything divided into cards, lists, and boards that provide virtually endless ways to arrange based on a business’s unique requirements.

  • Google Analytics

It is crucial to ensure that your website functions effectively and that you are aware of key information regarding the website traffic. Additionally, since the most recent upgrade, mobile app statistics have received much attention.

With Google Analytics, you can measure sales, leads, or anything else thought of as the ultimate objective of your business, as well as enhance the website’s content and user experience.

Various analytics digital tools are available. However, this one is cost-free, allowing smaller companies to use it without paying a subscription fee.

  • WordPress

In the present digital age, every successful company must have a polished and useful online presence. DIY website builders are inexpensive and offer a wide range of capabilities, making it simple to design a site that customizes to your unique needs. WordPress is probably one of the best platforms for any business due to its unmatched adaptability and selection of built-in capabilities.

The post Digital Tools and Software That Entrepreneurs Need to Implement for Their Businesses appeared first on Home Business Magazine.

Original source: https://homebusinessmag.com/home-office/computers-and-software/digital-tools-software-entrepreneurs-need-implement-businesses/

How to make money by getting healthy

Reading Time: 4 mins

Need an incentive to get out and get healthy? Good news! The MoneyMagpie team has uncovered a myriad of ways to make money by getting healthy and we can’t wait to share them with you.

From utilising your health insurance to playing guinea pig for clinical trials, here are a few surprisingly simple ideas.

 

Apps that pay

Health app on phone

With smartphones pretty much being extensions of our bodies these days, it’s hardly surprising that there are a wealth of apps out there to help you get fit.

While all of them offer some sort of incentive or encouragement, we’ve found two UK-based options that will actually reward your efforts with some well-deserved cash… in one form or another.

  • Bounts

In order to receive rewards from Bounts, you will need another fitness tracking app or device to gather statistics on your daily activity levels.

But once you’ve connected Bounts to your fitness tracker of choice, it will immediately start converting your steps into points and rewarding you for getting healthy.

If you’re using a step-counting device such as a FitBit, you will need to do at least 7000 steps a day to qualify for points. The minimum requirement for apps such as RunKeeper or Strava is a 20 minute walk/run above an average speed of 4km/h per day.

Users receive 20 points per activity and can earn up to 180 points a day.

These points can then be redeemed for exclusive offers, discounts and vouchers at various retailers and big name brands. Just take note that it may take a while to accumulate enough points to get shopping – just to give you an idea: 1800 points would roughly translate into a £5 Amazon voucher.

Click here for more details.

  • Sweatcoin

Similar to Bounts, you keep the Sweatcoin app open in your phone’s background and it will track your movement throughout the day, rewarding you with 1 Sweatcoin for every 1000 steps.

What makes this app a little different, however, is the fact that it actually specifically encourages getting healthy outdoors by not rewarding users for any indoor activity.

Once you’ve accumulated a number of Sweatcoins, you can start exchanging them for offers in the app. These offers can be absolutely anything – digital watches, online memberships, food, drinks, shoes, clothes, running gadgets, music/software downloads, digital services, and more.

Since Sweatcoin is basically a micro currency, you are also able to buy, sell and earn with it. However, it’s going to take a little bit of research and practice to get it just right.

Find out more on the Sweatcoin website.

 

Health insurance rewards

Health insurance concept image

Whether you’ve opted to invest in private health insurance or rely on the NHS, chances are pretty good that you may not be making the most of the incentives they offer you to live your healthiest life.

  • Vitality rewards

The moment you sign up for one of Vitality’s health insurance plans, you can start earning points for getting healthy.

Similar to the apps mentioned earlier, you can gain points for tracking your daily activity. Incentives start with as little as 12 points a week – which roughly translates to 12,500 steps in a day twice a week – which can be redeemed for a Starbucks drink and a cinema ticket.

Up this to 880 points in one go when you do an online health review and take a Vitality Healthcheck. Once you’ve accumulated enough, you can use these points to purchase anything from spa treatments to airplane tickets.

Check out the Vitality website for more details on their reward system.

  • NHS incentives

While they haven’t been approved just yet, NHS has come up with some radical proposals to reward your attempts at getting healthy with up to 25 per cent off weekly grocery purchases. Furthermore they seem to be taking a page out of Vitality’s book, looking to reward clients who achieve 12, 500 steps or more at least three times a week with free cinema tickets.

These ideas focus on ‘new towns’ and an effort to “design-in” healthy lifestyles by providing new homes with free bikes and equipping neighbourhoods with outdoor gyms and pavements with sprint tracks.

Apart from this, as the largest employer in the EU, NHS is also leading the charge for corporates and companies who want to encourage a culture of getting healthy among staff members. They will be offering financial incentives for increased activity, as well as regular mental and physical health checks.

Read more about these financial incentives on the NHS website.

 

Clinical trials

Docotor giving young woman medication

Taking part in paid clinical trials can be a way to make a lot of money in a short amount of time, but there are serious potential downsides so be very clear about those if you go in for this.

Depending on what kind of trial you take part in, how invasive the trials are and how long they take, you can earn anything from £100 to about £4,000.

Read our full article here.

 

Other ideas

 

Ask your money-making questions

The Magpie community is full of savvy money savers and makers – and now’s your chance to ask your burning questions!

The new MoneyMagpie Messageboard brings together the Magpie community, MoneyMagpie team, and vetted experts to make sure your essential money-making questions get answered.

Take a look here and register to post a new thread or reply.

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The post How to make money by getting healthy appeared first on MoneyMagpie.

Original source: https://www.moneymagpie.com/make-money/how-to-make-money-by-getting-healthy

How to make money by running a pop-up restaurant in your home

Reading Time: 5 mins

If you’re a whizz in the kitchen and love entertaining, you could be the perfect candidate to make some extra money by running a pop-up restaurant in your home.

Ever thought about it?

If not, here’s a basic guide to get you started:

 

What is a pop-up restaurant?

Couple in restaurant looking at menu

As the name suggests, pop-up restaurants are temporary dining experiences operated from anywhere but a traditional eatery – people’s homes, abandoned factories, pedestrian streets, the beach… you name it.

Based on the concept of dinner clubs, the whole premise behind the pop-up restaurant is to offer an exciting, limited edition culinary experience that is exclusive, social and shareable.

 

Why set one up?

Waitress holding food

If you’re reading this article, chances are pretty good that you enjoy the whole ‘foodie’ culture and may even have a special dream of one day owning a restaurant of your own.

While running a restaurant can be hugely rewarding, it’s also full of financial risk, which is obviously something most of us would choose to avoid.

However, that doesn’t mean you should bury your ambition.

A pop-up restaurant could be a fun alternative and an amazing opportunity to hone your skills.

Here are a few more reasons to consider setting one up:

  • Low overheads

Since you will be running it from your home (or any other interesting place you may have permission to use), you won’t have an extra set of business bills to worry about. Your biggest initial expense may be kitting yourself out with quality equipment – from robust pots and pans to attractive cutlery, crockery and table decorations.

After that, your funds will mainly go into buying fresh ingredients and occasional maintenance.

  • Gain experience

If you’re a young chef waiting for your big break, there can be no better way to refine your craft than running a pop-up restaurant from home. It will give you an opportunity to set up your own menus, experiment with unusual dishes that traditional restaurants may avoid and get honest feedback from your guests.

  • Reach a more engaged audience

The great thing about pop up restaurants is that it encourages quality, instead of quantity – not only in the amount you’re cooking, but also in the number of people you’re cooking for. Instead of preparing meals for a faceless mass, you have the opportunity to curate who sits down at your table. The fact is, people who aren’t passionate about the art of food and hospitality won’t be attracted to the pop-up restaurant concept.

  • Become a social media sensation

If you create meals and experiences that are visually pleasing, they will automatically be shareable too. Whether you’re looking to push boundaries or to perfect traditional cuisine, make sure your presentation warrants a snap or two. Once guests start sharing on their social media platforms, your popularity will boom.

 

How to set one up?

Waitress bringing nann breads to table

While it may be easier to set up than a traditional restaurant, there are still a few things to put in place:

  • Choose a location

While running a pop-up restaurant from your own home may be the simplest and cheapest option, you can really set one up anywhere that allows you. Perhaps your home is too small for the dining experience you envision, or maybe your kitchen is inadequate.

No need to worry – instead, spend some time scouting unusual locations close-by and find out (from your local authorities, building managers etc.) how you could go about utilising these spaces.

Make sure to source your catering equipment from a reputable company, whether you are buying it or renting it.

  • Come up with a concept

Once you know where you’ll host your events, it’s time to refine that concept that’s been brewing in the back of your mind. Are you going to be serving family recipes passed down through generations or perhaps ultra-modern fusion cuisine? Whatever you decide to do, the more well-packaged your program, the better.

  • Find a co-host

It can be rather stressful doing everything on your own. Get your partner, a friend, family member or co-worker to help you host the event. It helps to have two people sharing entertainment, cooking and cleaning responsibilities.

  • Apply for licenses

If you want to run your pop-up restaurant properly (and, believe us, you do), you are going to need to apply for a few licenses… just like any other catering business.

Read through this article on the Food Standards Agency website to get a basic idea and then approach your local authorities to find out what exactly they require from you.

  • Advertise

Now that you’ve got everything ready, it’s time to decide on a date for your first pop-up and advertise like mad.

Creating a Facebook event is probably the easiest way of getting the word out there these days and also sharing on other social media channels.

If you want to add an extra edge to your marketing, bring in an element of mystery. For example, keep the location a secret – only sharing directions with guests an hour or two before the event.

 

Food sharing sites to check out

Man using laptop

One of the easiest ways to get into the pop-up restaurant scene is to sign up as a host on a food sharing site.

Here are a few popular options:

  • EatWith – a website offering users an easy way to access the underground food scene and connect with creative, open-minded and interesting people.
  • BonAppetour – a community marketplace that connects travellers with local home chefs for a unique home-dining experience, anywhere around the world.
  • Tastemade – unique dining events hosted by chefs with exceptional culinary talents – from great home cooks to Michelin stars. The site has not launched in the UK yet, but it’s worth keeping an eye on for the future.

 

How much can I make?

Group cheers-ing wine glasses at meal

This depends largely on how many people you host and how often you run your pop-up.

However, if you start off by hosting four guests once a month, charging £30 per person (just make sure the price covers your expenses), you could make a pretty decent income on the side.

Also read:

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The post How to make money by running a pop-up restaurant in your home appeared first on MoneyMagpie.

Original source: https://www.moneymagpie.com/make-money/how-to-make-money-by-running-a-pop-up-restaurant-in-your-home